1. Your Child and the Internet The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Presented by Dr. Chris Greer ~ Georgia College and State University

2. The Good The Internet gives easy access to information that will enrich your child’s knowledge Research capabilities are endless There are worse things your child could be involved in after school

3. The Good The Internet provides exposure to different points of view, different cultures Your child can socialize with others who have similar interests Creativity flourishes online - photos, videos, blogs

4. The Good The Internet provides exposure to different points of view, different cultures Your child can socialize with others who have similar interests Creativity flourishes online - photos, videos, blogs

5. The Bad Online games can quickly consume your child’s life The Internet can literally be an addiction Too much online socialization can have a negative impact on face to face socialization

6. The Bad Unsupervised access leads to activities such as Downloading illegal music and movies Accessing sites that can contain viruses or other malicious software Viewing of inappropriate material Posting inappropriate images on MySpace profiles

7. The Ugly Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook can have online predators Online chat rooms are especially bad The Internet is a haven for paedophiles and other criminals There are very few regulations on Internet content

8. The Ugly Two recent incidents in Baldwin County illustrate the need for parental supervision Students can unknowingly make their private information available to strangers

9. What can you do? Educate yourself about the Internet Be aware of what your children are doing online (bookmarks, history tab) Establish guidelines Talk to your child about the dangers If necessary, use software filters http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/

10. Questions? Email me at chris.greer@gcsu.educhris.greer@gcsu.edu This presentation is available on my website: http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~cgreer